Nightmare
by Lady Ryoko
Summary: Inuyasha dies and Kagome is heartbroken until she mystereously forgets all about him and the fuedal era. Now someone is tormenting her with memories of the past. PG 13 for sadness and a some language.
1. Character Death

Disclaimer- I don't own Inuyasha. "The Real Folk Blues" is the ending song for Cowboy Bebop, so obviously I don't own that either.

Nightmare

Ch. One

"I…love…you…Kagome."

"I love you too, Inuyasha," Kagome said through her tears. As she watched, Inuyasha silently went limp in her arms. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~Flashback, the day before~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I love you," Inuyasha said to a shocked Kagome. "I love you too," she answered. _I never thought you cared, _she thought. Kagome quickly embraced him. He looked slightly nervous, but then he remembered what they had each just said, and accepted her into his arms.

While they weren't looking, a small glowing creature flew from behind a tree to where its mistress was hiding a few miles away. "What have you brought me, my friend? Show me through the crystal your news." The soul-stealing creature held out a glowing ball. Although she called it a crystal, it was actually the soul of a young girl who had recently died. She had been phycic, so her soul had the ability to show images of the present. 

Out of the light emerged shapes, misty at first and then clear images. It was the scene that had just happened with Kagome and Inuyasha. Upon hearing what was spoken and seeing the embrace, the woman screamed. It wasn't a scream of terror or pain, but a scream of pure hatred. "Why that little bitch! I'll teach her to steal my Inuyasha!"

That night she crept quietly into Inuyasha's camp. Although the hanyo usually slept up in a tree, tonight he was lying by Kagome. This just made her angrier. She also noted that that small kitsune that traveled with them was in the sleeping bag with Kagome. The monk and the demon exterminator were on the other side of the campfire. She knew from her spying the last few months that they were married, so she wasn't surprised to see they were sharing a blanket. 

Out of her pouch she took the mushrooms. She smiled. A bite of one of these would kill a man. Imagine eating a whole bowl full. That could kill almost anything, including a hanyo. She knew from the crystal that Kagome planned to make Ramen with mushrooms as a special treat for Inuyasha. She took the safe, normal mushrooms out of the basket where Kagome had left them and replaced them with the new ones. Whispering to herself as she left, she said, "If I can't have you, Inuyasha, no one will."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~End Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"He's dead," Kagome whispered. "Dear God, it can't be." She stared at nothing, never blinking. She looked dead herself except for the gentle rise and fall of her chest. "Kagome?" Sango said, about to cry herself but trying not to for her friend's sake. "Kagome? Will you be alright?" From a few feet away Miroku laughed bitterly. Then through tears he said, "Of course she won't. How would you feel if I died?" With that Sango began to cry also. Even Shippo was crying. Inuyasha might be mean to him and hit him a lot, but Shippo would never want him to die. 

"It's all my fault. It's all my fault. I gave him the mushrooms, I'm the one who killed him." Kagome repeated this over and over. Finally Sango stopped her. "It isn't your fault. You didn't know they were poisonous." Kagome nodded until it looked like her head might come unattached. Then she said, "Yes, it is my fault." She wouldn't listen to anyone else. She just started laughing. It was so ridiculous to think that Inuyasha had survived all those times against impossible odds, only to be killed by a bowl of mushroom Ramen. 

__

This must be a nightmare. It can't be real. It can't, Kagome thought. She tried pinching herself to wake up, but that just made her pain physical as well as mental. She stopped laughing. Sango and Miroku were talking. She could hear their voices, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. It didn't seem to matter. As they picked her up and carried her to the Bone Eater's Well, she began to sing absentmindedly to herself. This is what she sang: 

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Aishiteta to nageku niwa/ Amarinimo toki wa sugite shimatta/ 

Too much time has passed by to/ Lament that we were deeply in love./

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Mada kokoro no hokorobi wo/ Lyesenu mama kaze ga fuiteru/ 

The wind keeps blowing while my heart/ Cannot heal all the tears in it./

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Kawaita hitome de dareka naite kure/ The real folk blues/

Someone, cry for me with parched eyes/ The real folk blues/

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Honto no kanashimi ga shiraite dake/ Doro no kawani tsukatta/

I only want to know what true sadness is./ Sitting in muddy water/

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Jinsei mo waruku wa nai/ Ichido kiri de owara nara

Isn't such a bad life/ If it ends after the first time.

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Kagome's voice was so beautiful, and the song so sad considering what had just happened, that Sango began to cry again. She couldn't help it. When they finally reached the well all four of them went through it. They told Kagome's mother and grandfather what had happened. Mrs. Higurashi actually started crying. Inuyasha had been, after all, like a son-in-law to her. Sota would probably ask about Inuyasha. She couldn't bear to tell him what had happened, so she decided to say that he went away for a while. She could reveal the truth when he was older.

Mrs. Higurashi was especially distressed by her daughter's condition. She would alternate between babbling about it being her fault, singing sad songs, laughing hysterically, and staring into emptiness. "How long has she been like this?" she asked Sango. "Since it happened. We don't know what's going on. Please get help for her." So Mrs. Higurashi took her to a psychiatrist. The first few sessions she just stared or hummed. However, while they were in the waiting room for the fourth session, Kagome suddenly became normal again. "What are we doing here?" she asked in a puzzled voice. She continued to act like her old self when they went in for the appointment.

Reading from a clipboard, the psychiatrist said, "Now Kagome. What can you tell me about this," he looked up from the clipboard and his eyebrows lifted, "this Inuyasha that you were so close to?" Kagome looked confused. "Inu-who? What are you talking about? I don't like dogs. They chase my cat Buyo." The psychiatrist's eyebrows went even higher. He jotted something down, then said "Mrs. Higurashi, may I see you outside for a moment please?"

"This is odd. I've never seen a patient forget completely about such a traumatic experience just like that," said the doctor when they were out in the hall with the door shut. "What do you suggest we do, doctor?" asked Mrs. Higurashi. "I suggest you just take her home and forget about all about it." She looked at him incredulously. She might not have a degree in psychology, but that didn't sound like the best thing to do considering what had happened.

__

Who's the doctor here? She reminded herself. Her plan had been to become a psychiatrist, but she had gotten married young instead. Although she loved her children, she was still mad at herself for passing up her scholarship to college. So she decided to trust the man. "Never talk about what happened and get rid of everything that might remind her." _I guess that means Sango, Shippo, and Miroku will have to go back,_ she thought. They had been staying at the house ever since they had brought Kagome back.

So they went home. Kagome's friends from the past went back without Kagome seeing them, and things got back to how they had been before Kagome had gone through the well. All was normal. At least, until the girl moved in next door.

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A/N- Do you like my new story? There will be more of the horror element in later chapters. Any guesses on who our real female murderer is? Yeah, I know, it's pretty obvious. By the way, the title doesn't imply that this is a nightmare. She's not dreaming, it's real. Any questions? Review, and read my other two stories: Kagome's Strange Era and Friends Forever. 


	2. Memories

Disclaimer- I don't own Inuyasha.

Nightmare

Ch.2

"How are you doing this morning Kagome?" asked the white haired hanyo.

"I'm doing great," Kagome felt herself answer. "Look what I have. Mushroom Ramen! I made it just for you." She poured some of the soup into a cup and gave it to him. He ate it within a matter of seconds and then went for the rest of it in the pot over the fire. When it was all gone he kissed her. "Thanks," he said. "It was great."

They sat for a while around the fire and talked about the future. When the hanyo said he wanted her to be his mate, she laughed. "I'm a little young to get married," she told him. He gave her an odd look. _What's she talking about? _he thought. "Who said anything about getting married?" he asked, truly bewildered. He looked over at Kagome. She was giving him a death stare. He hastily said, "I mean, you're right. We should wait a month." She laughed. "More like 5 years! I'm only 17 and I want to go to college before I settle down." 

He looked hurt. "I want you to stay here with me, though." _What am I doing?_ Kagome thought._ I can't ask Inuyasha to become human. Kikyo tried that, and that ended with her dead and Inuyasha stuck to a tree for 50 years. But I can't keep going back and forth between my world and this world forever._ Slowly she said, "Maybe you're right. I'll tell you what. I'll turn 18 in five months. Give me until then and I'll marry you." Inuyasha smiled triumphantly, but then turned pale. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Five months isn't that long a time to wait." "I-" he collapsed. "Come on. Stop kidding around. I mean it, Inuyasha!" She shook him, but he didn't do anything. "Sango! Shippo! Miroku!" Kagome yelled. They came running. "What's wrong? What happened?" Everyone asked at one time. Frantically, she said, "Inuyasha collapsed!" Miroku bent down to smell the man's breath. He gasped. "I know that smell! A very deadly type of mushroom has poisoned him! He-" Miroku looked at Kagome with pity. "He doesn't have much longer. I'm sorry." Kagome began crying. Just then the hanyo regained temporary conciseness.

"I…love…you…Kagome," he managed to choke out. "I love you too, Inuyasha," she answered through her tears. He smiled and then went limp in her arms.

As she woke up, Kagome screamed. Her mom came running. "What's the matter, Kagome? Did you have a nightmare?" Kagome nodded. _But it didn't feel like a nightmare. It felt real,_ she thought. She calmed down a little bit, then asked, "Mom, do you think hanyos actually exist?" Her mom looked nervous, then said, "Um, of course not. They're just creatures people told stories about a long time ago to help pass the time." She winced at her own words. After all, Inuyasha had been more than just a creature. He had been like family. _Too late to correct myself now, _she thought."Anything else?" Kagome shook her head. "No. That's it." She kissed her mom goodnight and turned the lights back off.

Except that wasn't it. She was wondering who Inuyasha was. She remembered that name from that weird trip to the psychiatrist's office last month. She didn't know him, or at least she didn't remember him, but she knew what that emotion was that was in the dream. It was love. She had loved him. But how? How could she have felt that and not remember it? There were too many questions. She decided to just go back to sleep. As she slipped quickly into unconsciousness, she heard the whispering voices. _It's coming,_ they said. _It's coming. What's coming?_ She wondered. _Evil, _they answered in a happy chorus.

________________________________________

"What an odd dream_,_ Kagome said to herself the next morning when she woke up. "I actually dreamed of voices sayingthat evil was coming. I guess I shouldn't haveeaten that pizzabeforebed_._" She looked outside. There was a moving van next door. _Someone must have bought that house_, she thought. It had been vacant for as long as Kagome could remember. Just then Sota burst into the room. "Come on Kagome! I want to go over to that house next door. Someone just moved in!" Irritated, Kagome said, "I don't want to go over there so leave me alone!" Kagome didn't know why she was mad, but for some reason that house gave her a weird feeling. Just after lunch a small car pulled up. A woman got out. _There's something very familiar about her_, thought Kagome. "Can we go over and say hello?" Sota asked. He kept bugging his mom until finally she said, "All right. Kagome, you go with him." So off they went. 

"Hi! My name is Kikyo," said the woman. Kagome introduced herself. "I'm Kagome Higurashi and this is my brother, Sota." The woman seemed nice enough. She wasn't very old, only about 23 or so. When asked why she had moved into such a big house all alone, she explained that her grandfather had recently died and left it to her. "His name was Myoga." She said the name casually, but Kagome felt an odd twinge. Hadn't she known a Myoga once? No, it couldn't be. She was imagining things. Still, it hurt her somehow, and a pained look crossed her face.

Kikyo smiled. In that instant Kagome knew where she had seen that smile, that face. _Kikyo looked almost exactly like her._ Kagome was thinking about this as she left a few minutes later, so she didn't see the arrow coming. It flew across her path, pinning that Inuyasha guy from her dream to the ancient tree in her yard. "Die, Inuyasha!" Kikyo screamed from a few yards away. _This can't be happening, _Kagome thought in horror. Then suddenly it wasn't happening. Everything was like it should be. As she walked inside she thought she heard laughter from next door, but maybe it was just the wind.

______________________________________

Sota wanted to go back to Kikyo's house the next day, but Kagome refused. Although Kikyo hadn't done anything strange, she felt uneasy around Kikyo. Unfortunately, Kagome's mom forced her to go. Sota was the baby of the family, after all. Kagome walked quickly with her head down over to Kikyo's house. She didn't want to see anything weird like she thought she had the day before. "Kikyo is so cool! She has cookies and milk and a PS2. What more could you ask for?" Sota babbled endlessly. She turned to him to tell him to shut up, but he was no longer there. In his place was a small boy with red hair and a tail. Then he turned into a big pink bubble. She blinked and Sota was back again. _How odd,_ she thought. _I could have sworn that-_ "Naa, it couldn't be," she dismissed it. "What couldn't be?" Sota asked. "Nothing. Never mind." 

Kikyo was standing in the door when they got there. Kagome had an odd feeling that she had been waiting for them, but that was impossible. They hadn't called before they left. From behind Kikyo there was meowing. "When did you get a cat?" asked Sota happily. He loved cats. "I've had them for years," she explained. "When I moved I didn't have enough room for them in my car, so they stayed at my friend's house until I could come back for them. Today I had some time, so I drove back and brought them here." 

They all went inside. "What are their names?" Sota asked. "Well, this white one is Naraku. The black one is Onigumo, and the bald Sphinx cat is Monten. Monten had a brother named Hiten, but he died." Kagome stared. She had heard these names before somewhere. "I also used to have a dog." She had a look of disgust on her face. "At first we got along pretty well, but then he ran off with a shaggy little female dog. You know what female dogs are called, don't you? They're called bitches. That description fit this particular female dog perfectly. That female gave him rabies and he died." She spoke with such distaste that even Sota couldn't offer his sympathy. With false innocence she continued. "So afterwards I tracked her down and killed her. After all, she did have rabies. I was putting her out of her misery." Kagome was in a state of shock. Those words had upset her more than they should have. Kikyo was looking at her as if _she_ were the much-hated female dog.

While she was distracted with this thought, the three cats' ears went back against their heads. They started hissing at her. Before Kagome could get out of the way, they ran furiously at her throat. She looked around. Where were Sota and Kikyo? No one was helping her! She looked around frantically and saw them. Kikyo was holding Sota back. Why? Why wouldn't Kikyo help her? _Is this it? Is this how I'm going to die?_ Kagome thought. She closed her eyes and thought she could feel them biting and clawing at her jugular. But wait. She couldn't feel their claws. What was going on? She opened her eyes. The cats went flying across the room. They all landed on their feet and ran out of the room.

They went home soon afterwards. After all, what do you say when your neighbor's cats suddenly try to kill you? 

______________________________________

"I can't believe I was that stupid," Kikyo said. "I got angry and tried to kill her in such an obvious way." She was talking to herself again, but she didn't care. She had been doing it since she had left the feudal era. At least there she could talk to her soul collectors. Here she had no one. "I had meant to torture her for a while. I wasn't planning on doing away with her until I had driven her completely crazy. I've had experience with that kind of thing, you know. Remember Naraku?" Naraku had been her greatest achievement. After she was done with him, he couldn't even use his various powers, so a group of townspeople had been able to lock him away from the rest of the world indefinitely. Kikyo continued her conversation. "But then that stupid dead mutt interfered. Now I'll have to get rid of her much sooner than expected. I can't have her hanging around to guess what's going on, can I? But this time I'll have to be more discreet." Slowly her evil mind hatched a plot. By the next morning, she had a plan. However, first she would do as much damage as possible.

_______________________________________

That night the whispers were back. _He's coming! He's coming! _They shouted. They weren't happy this time. They were scared. _When will he get here? Why is he coming?_ Kagome demanded. By now she knew that if they were happy, she wasn't, and vice versa. _You don't know? He is already here. She would have killed you by now otherwise. He's protecting you! _They sounded outraged.

The next morning she couldn't remember the conversation. So when Kikyo called to ask if they could come over, she went on the condition that her cats were locked away. Kikyo assured her that they were, and they headed over. "This is Sesshomaru, but I sometimes call him Fluffy," Kikyo said when they saw the huge white dog. He looked ferocious. Not the type of dog you would usually call Fluffy except for the huge, fluffy, extremely cute tail. He had sharp teeth and a mark on his forehead in the shape of a crescent moon. There were also two stripes on each side of his face. All and all, he was a really beautiful dog.

Now Kagome was confused. "I thought you didn't like dogs. What about that other dog?" Through clenched teeth Kikyo said, "His name was Inuyasha, and I didn't like him but that doesn't mean I hate all dogs." She hugged Sesshomaru. "I love this dog." Sota tried to think of something to say. It had to be just a coincidence that she had a dog with the same name as the Inuyasha Kagome used to go see. The Inuyasha that had been his hero until he had died a month ago. Mom didn't think he would catch on, but he had. After all, he was a kid, but he wasn't stupid. Finally he asked, "So what breed is he?" Kikyo gave a fake smile and said, "He's a dog demon." Laughing nervously, Sota said, "Don't you mean that he's a demon dog because he's so wild, or something like that?" Kikyo didn't laugh. She just said calmly, "No. I mean he's a dog demon."

_________________________________________

A/N- Cliffhangers are so much fun. Sorry this isn't longer. I'm not very good at making fics last for a long time, so sorry about it. Anyway, I need more reviews. As of right now I only have one review, so come on people! *Puts on drill sergeant uniform and starts marching back and forth in front of readers* Alright people! I wanna see at least 5 reviews before I update! Now do 50 push-ups! In the mud NOW, soldier! *Is back in normal clothes* Plus, I'll cry if you don't. Waaa! Okay, I'm all right now. The point is to review and read my other fics also. Ja, minna!

~Lady Ryoko


	3. Ghost

Disclaimer- I don't own Inuyasha.

Nightmare

Ch. Three

"What are you talking about?" Kagome asked. "What do you mean he's a dog demon? I thought dog demons were supposed to be huge, like as big as this house, and make swords for their sons out of their fangs in their demon form and really pretty with poison claws in their human form. And the also usually have an ugly little assistant who agrees with everything they say, and-" She glanced at Kikyo, who was giving her the oddest look. At first she thought she saw anger, but then it turned into confusion. "What are you talking about? How do you know so much about demons?" When Kagome didn't answer, she said, "Anyway, I was just joking. He's actually a rare breed from Siberia. People sometimes call this breed dog demons because they look a little bit like the ancient descriptions of them."

__

That makes sense. Of course Kikyo was just joking. There is no such thing as a dog demon. But, just for a second, Kagome had thought…

__

That's ridiculous. Why would she not be lying? How? But then, how had Kagome known so much about demons? 

____________________________________

The next day, Sota wanted to go back Kikyo's house. This time Kagome put her foot down. "Mom, we've been over there every day this week. Can't I just take a day off? Sota's nine. It's not like he's going to get lost going next door." Mrs. Higurashi sighed. "Oh, alright. Sota can go alone for once. But only if you promise to go tomorrow." Kagome hugged her mother. She didn't know why she didn't want to go next door today, but she really didn't. That house gave off bad vibes. So did Kikyo. A day off where she didn't have to see Kikyo would do her a lot of good. 

Later that evening Kagome was studying for a History test when Sota came home. He walked into her room without knocking. She stood up and glared at him. "You know, you could knock first before you barge into someone's room. It's rude to…" She stopped when she saw the blank look in his eyes. No, blank was an understatement. She couldn't even see the irises or pupils; his eyes were just white. Nervously, she asked, "Did you have fun at Kikyo's house? Sota?" He looked at her and said in a distant voice, "Yes, Kagome, I did have fun. And it's a good thing you didn't come today. Otherwise I wouldn't have the courage to do _this_!" With that he jumped foreword, a knife in his hand.

Kagome tried to run, but it felt like her feet were stuck to the floor. She couldn't scream either, she screamed inside her head. _Help me, guy from my dream. Help me, Inuyasha!_ Kagome was suddenly aware of a cold wind. The window wasn't open, and neither was the door. So where was that draft coming from? What was going on? She was seeing her life pass before her eyes. But when she got to her twelfth birthday party, she saw Sota stop. His hair was blowing around, maybe in that same cold wind that Kagome had felt. Slowly his pupils and irises appeared, little pinpricks at first, then gradually normal size. He looked around, confused, but Kagome wasn't watching him. All she saw was the cold wind. Usually you can't see the wind. Kagome knew that. But as she felt the wind pass through her, she could see something faintly red, clothing perhaps. Then it was rose slowly through the ceiling. She could tell that Sota hadn't seen it; his eyes hadn't followed it as it left.

Speaking of Sota, he was looking like he had just woken up to find that he was not only on a different planet than the one he had gone to sleep on, but he was now also a girl, wearing a pink tutu, no less. Hesitantly, he asked, "Kagome, what am I doing here? And where did I get this knife? All I remember is someone whispering in my ear. It made my ear cold, like it was going to get frostbite. Were you using your hypnotism kit again? I thought Mom put that up so you'd stop doing stuff to me. Why-" Kagome interrupted him. "First of all, _you_ were the one with the hypnotism kit, not me. Second, I don't know what you're doing here or where you got the knife. You just came barging in and tried to kill me." Sota's eyes widened. "I would never try to kill you. You're my favorite sister." _He doesn't remember,_ she thought in surprise. So she just smiled and said, "I'm your only sister." She hugged him and said, "Now get out of my room. If I don't study I'll fail this test!"

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"Mom, I'm not hungry. May I be excused?" Kagome asked that night at dinner. Her mom gave her a funny look. "But I made your favorite. Are you sure you don't want it?" Kagome answered, "Yeah, I'm sure." She went up to her room. _Why aren't I hungry? I don't feel sick._ She was distracted from her thoughts, however, when Sota cam into the room. "Hi Kagome! Want to play with my rock collection?" he held up a toy rocket ship. "This one is really fun to drive." With that, he sat on it and dove around the room on it like a car. Before she could ask what was going on, Grandfather and Mom came in. "Would you like to buy some real estate?" Grandfather asked. "I'll give you a fair price, seeing as you are my only son." Mom said, "Oh, Mother. Don't upset her. You know she only buys eggs from the car dealer down the street." Sota was still driving around and around the room on the rocket ship, which seemed to have turned into a frog.

"What are all of you talking about? Why are you acting so weird?" They all answered in unison, "We're only getting ready for your wedding." With that the frog promptly sprouted a wedding dress, complete with veil. "Why would I marry a frog?" She was practically yelling now. The frog started crying. "I thought you loved me! This is what I get for not listening to my mother!" With that, the frog ran (on two legs, no less) out of the room. Sota glared at her. "Now you've done it. You've chased away the only eligible bachelor in town." 

Confused beyond words, Kagome just stood there staring as her family did strange things. Finally she managed to ask, "Why are you babbling like this? Is this a joke?" Suddenly she had a horrible thought. _What if they're sick? Was there something in the food? Is that why I'm the only normal one, because I didn't eat anything?_ Before she could react to this thought, though, everyone abruptly decided to leave the room. Kagome just stood there for a minute, then ran after them down the stairs. Everyone was in the kitchen sitting and talking like everything was normal. Like they hadn't just come into her room babbling like idiots. 

"What were you doing in my room? Why were you talking like that? Are you sick? I'll call the doctor." She went for the phone, but Mom stopped her. "What are you talking about? We've been down here all evening." She gave her daughter a quizzical look. "Mom, I know what I saw. You were all up there trying to make me buy real estate and marry a frog." The look on Kagome's mom's face went from quizzical to worried. "Honey, are you sure you feel alright? Maybe we should take your temperature." She went to go get the thermometer. "Mom, I DO NOT have a temp-" She was cut off by the thermometer that was suddenly in her mouth. A minute later Mrs. Higurashi pulled the thermometer out. "It's normal. Whatever you think you saw, it must have just been a dream." Kagome repeated that to herself as she went upstairs. _Just a dream, just a dream, just a dream. _

Saying that didn't make it feel any more like a dream.

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When she went to sleep that night the voices were still there. Kagome was starting to get tired of them. _What do you want this time?_ She asked grumpily. _We want her to succeed! We want her to succeed! _They yelled back at her. _We want her to come back to us, her friends. Without us she wouldn't be alive, you know. As long as you're alive she'll stay here. Call your dog off and accept your fate._ They nagged at her all night long, despite her insistence that she didn't have a dog. _I don't know what you're talking about. All I have is a cat and he's never done anything._ They didn't listen.

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Kikyo was also having a mental battle, but with herself. "I want to kill her now!" one part of her insisted. "Why can't I? We've had enough fun with her. She's already seeing delusions without our help. She has quite an imagination to think of things that strange." Another part of her said, "I've already made two attempts. She'll be suspicious now and I won't be able to get a clear shot at her. Plus there's the mutt that keeps stopping me each time I try anything." The first part said, "But she'll guess if I take too long. She'll guess and then get me before I can get her," said the first part. On and on the argument went until she came to a resolution. "I'll trick the stupid dog. Trick him into doing my dirty work for me. Let's see now. I'll have to get that perfume she wears, the one she always had even when she was in my era, and…" The answer was perfect. So perfect it made her laugh. The laugh turned into a cackle. Next door, Kagome heard it and stirred in her sleep, but didn't wake up. 

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As promised, the next day Kagome went with Sota to Kikyo's house. She was nervous, but her mom had insisted. What had Sota meant when he had said, "It's a good thing you didn't come today. Otherwise I wouldn't have the courage to do this"? What had happened at Kikyo's house to make him act like that? She shook aside her questions, however, when they got to Kikyo's house. Kikyo was standing there in a school uniform exactly like the one Kagome had on. "Do you like it?" she asked, "It's the new fashion from Paris." Even more disturbing, though, was her hair. It was the same as Kagome's, bangs and all. _I guess that's the new style from Paris, too, _she thought.

"And while we're talking about clothes, Kagome, I have something for you." Kikyo went into another room and retrieved a girl's red and white kimono. "It's for the festival next month. It's too small for me, so I thought you would like it. Why don't you try it on so we can make sure it fits you?" She directed Kagome into a bedroom. As she was trying it on, Kagome noticed something on the nightstand. It was a bottle of the same kind of perfume she used. It was odd how much Kikyo was trying to be like her, but she decided to chalk it up to flattery and let it go. If someone wanted to be like her so much, who was she to stop them? Speaking of odors, the kimono had an odd scent. She guessed that it was probably just how Kikyo smelled. After all, it had been in her house for a while, and she had probably worn it at least a few times before she outgrew it.

When she walked back into the room, Kikyo exclaimed at how beautiful Kagome looked. "Now all you need is a new hairstyle." Kikyo somehow brushed Kagome's hair so that the bangs looked a lot longer and pulled the rest of the hair into an old-fashioned low ponytail. For the first time Kagome looked around and saw that Sota was no longer there. "Where's Sota?" she asked. "Oh, I sent him home. I explained to him that him and I got a day alone yesterday, so today was going to be a girls only day." _Do I really want to spend a girls only day with her?_ Kagome thought. _She gives me the willies._ But she just smiled and asked, "What are we going to do on our girls only day?"

Kikyo smiled her familiar smile, so much like Kagome's own, and said, "You just sit down on the couch. I'll be right back." With that she went into the kitchen, presumably for snacks. As Kagome sat there, she had another of those delusions that seemed so real. This time it was a voice, or, rather, _two_ voices. One was a male voice, the other a female. The female voice asked in astonishment, "Kohaku?" Then the male voice, from a different memory, said, "Will you bear my child?" Even though the male voice wasn't real, Kagome had the overwhelming urge to slap him. _Who does Miroku think he is, asking me something like that?_ Then she realized what she had just thought. _Miroku. That's his name. And the girl is Sango._ She didn't know how she knew these things, she just did. There was another voice, one of a little kid, saying, "Kagome, Inuyasha's being mean to me again!" _That one is Shippo._ There was another voice, too. It said, "I love you, Kagome." 

__

I know that voice. It's Inuyasha! Then suddenly all the memories came flooding back. She saw everything from when she first fell through the well to the fourth visit to the psychiatrist's office. She saw herself pulling the arrow from Inuyasha's chest, meeting Shippo, Miroku, and Sango, battling Naraku, and kissing Inuyasha. Then she saw Kikyo, her trying to kill Inuyasha, then later kissing him. She saw Inuyasha dying. Because she was seeing all this, she failed to see Kikyo standing over her holding the same knife Sota had tried to kill her with just the day before. 

Kagome tried to scream but couldn't. Her throat wouldn't work. It all made sense now, everything that had happened, but she wasn't going to live long enough to tell anyone that she was okay. She would never see Sango or Shippo or Miroku or-

But she wouldn't have seen Inuyasha again anyway. She had killed him. This was all her fault. She didn't deserve to live. She should just let Kikyo stab her to death, let it be over with. But as she came to this conclusion, Kikyo said, "You fool. You didn't kill Inuyasha, I did. I switched the mushrooms. If I couldn't have him, I wasn't going to let you have him either." Then, inexplicably, she dropped the knife. Seeing her chance, Kagome picked it up. "Kikyo, don't make me do this. I don't want to but I will." Kikyo just gave a cold smile and yelled, "Inuyasha! Help me! Kikyo's trying to kill me!" The cold wind was back. It blew through her and made her clothes rustle. Then it started to strangle her. "What? I'm not-" She remembered the pale red clothing she had seen accompanying the wind last time. _It's Inuyasha!_ Kagome realized. 

__

Kikyo tried to kill me with cats and then by possessing Sota, but Inuyasha was protecting me. Now he thinks Kikyo is me and I'm Kikyo, and he's just trying to protect me again. That's why Kikyo did all this with the clothes and hair and even the scent. "Inuyasha, it's me. Kagome! Kikyo's just trying to trick you again. Inuyasha, please!" The wind, to her surprise, made a sniffing noise. Then it stopped choking her and moved to Kikyo. _He must have recognized my scent even though the kimono smelled like Kikyo,_ she realized. "No, wait, I love you! I killed you for your own good. This bitch was corrupting you!" Kikyo screamed. Her hair was blowing around wildly. There seemed to be a tornado, picking up books and papers and the like. Kagome couldn't even see Kikyo anymore. As she watched, there was a single shrill scream. Then the tornado cleared, and there was nothing left of Kikyo but a green sailor-style school uniform.

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"Mom! I'm home!" Kagome yelled as she came in. Mrs. Higurashi ran to her daughter from the kitchen. "Kagome, are you alright? I mean, you're not…" She looked her daughter over, then said, "No, I guess you couldn't be. You're here, aren't you?" This seemed to be a rhetorical question, so Kagome didn't answer. "Well? Aren't you?" _Okay, so it wasn't rhetorical,_ Kagome thought. "Yeah Mom. I'm really here and I'm all right. Why wouldn't I be?" With an odd look in her eye, Mrs. Higurashi said, "Oh, no reason." _She doesn't know that I remember Inuyasha yet,_ Kagome realized. _She's trying to protect me from whatever she saw._

"Mom," she said gently, "I know about Inuyasha. I just remembered today at Kikyo's house. It was like, the images suddenly flooded back to me." She looked up and saw that her mom was crying. "Mom, it's okay. I'm okay now. Can you tell me what happened to make you worry about me?" The older woman forced herself to stop crying, then said, "When you were next door, I sensed a soul. It was dying, but not leaving its body behind like souls usually do. This one was taking its body with it the next world. Then several soul collectors came and stole it. I could almost hear what they were thinking. They thought, 'Finally, she has come back to us.' The soul collectors left. I don't know where they went, but they took the soul with them. And I thought…I thought it was your soul they had. It was a soul so much like yours, but also different. It didn't have the carefree playfulness that yours has."

For a moment they stared at each other in shocked silence. Finally, Kagome said, "But, that would mean that you're like me. You're a miko." The other laughed, almost bitterly. "Yes, daughter. I'm a miko. Like mother, like daughter." _The soul she saw must have been Kikyo's, _Kagome realized._ Her soul collectors finally came and got her._ It seemed a fitting end for someone who stole people's souls in order to stay alive herself.

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The voices were still there when she went to sleep that night. This time, however, they didn't yell at her. _We wanted to thank you for giving her back to us. Now we will have her for all eternity. We won't be bothering you again._ The nex night, as she expected, they weren't there. 

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Kagome was lying on her bed. She should have been studying for her math test tomorrow, but she couldn't concentrate. She was thinking about yesterday at Kikyo's house. And especially about Inuyasha. She knew now that she hadn't killed him, but she was still sad. Not as sad as she had been immediately after he died, but sad enough. _Why did you have to leave me, Inuyasha?_ Warm tears began to roll down her face. They turned cold before they should have, and she realized the cold wind that was Inuyasha was back. She sat up straight just as Inuyasha became visible. He slowly became more solid, but when she tried to hug him her arms passed through him.

"Oh, Kagome. I missed you so much. I wish I could hug you, but I can't. I appear solid, but I'm not," Inuyasha said sadly. Kagome started to cry again, but Inuyasha stopped her. "I don't want you to cry anymore." Kagome made herself stop. "I love you so much," she said. "I love you too. Someday maybe we'll be together again. But right now you've got to go on living. Please, for my sake." Kagome looked at him, the ghost of someone she had loved so much, some one she still did love. "I will. As soon as I can, I'll go back to help Sango and Miroku with everything oer there. Just because Naraku is out of the way it doesn't mean there isn't any evil. The only problem is, I can't find my jewel shards. Mom must have taken them after…after I came back." She couldn't bear to say "After you died," which was what she was thinking.

"No she didn't. Kikyo had them. That's how she got through. I took them from her while I was…taking care of her." He dropped them into her hand. "Take care of yourself, Kagome. I'll see you in the afterlife." With that he began to disappear. "Wait!" Kagome yelled. He stopped fading for a minute. "Isn't there any way I could hug you, just one last time?" Inuyasha thought about that, then said, "There is one way. Concentrate on the last time you hugged me for a minute." The last time she had hugged him had been when he died. She didn't want to think of that, so she thought of the first time they had hugged, back when he had pushed her through the well to protect her from Naraku. He moved towards her and, just for a moment, hugged her. "Goodbye, Kagome." He faded away as she said, "Goodbye Inuyasha. I'll always love you."

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Despite what she had told Inuyasha, Kagome wasn't sure about what to do. "Should I go back? I should, shouldn't I? After all, I did promise him, and I want to see my friends. So I will. Thanks for helping me through that." Kagome got up and went to her room to pack, leaving Grandfather looking stunned. "Um, anytime. I'm glad to help."

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"Kaede! I'm so glad to see you! Where are Sango and Miroku?" Kagome asked a few days later when she went back to the feudal era at last. Kaede answered, "They be inside. Sango is having her baby. The stars say it be a boy._ Sango is having a baby right now? I didn't even know she was pregnant, _Kagome thought. But then, she had been away for a while. She ran inside, just in time to hear a baby crying. "Sango! I'm so happy to see you! Congratulations! He's so cute," she said, indicating the baby Miroku was holding.

"Miroku! I didn't think I'd ever see you again!" Sango said, "Kagome, is it really you? I didn't think you were coming back." Kagome knew what she meant. "You didn't think I'd remember you. Don't worry, I remember everything. I'll explain later." Sango tried to get up and hug her, but Kagome said, "There will be time for that later. Right now you need your rest." Sango nodded and said, "Miroku, let me see our son." He handed him gently to her, then hugged Kagome. "I missed you, Kagome." Kagome said, "I missed you too." She sat down by Sango. "So what will you name him?" Sango and Miroku glanced nervously at each other, then Sango said, "Well, if it's alright with you, we thought we would name him Inuyasha." Kagome thought about this. She thought she felt a cold wind, but it might have just been the breeze through the cracks in the hut. She smiled and said, "Yeah. I'd like that."

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A/N- Thank you so much for reading my fic. If you review I'll love you even more! Take that as a hint to hit that review button. I have a really funny story I could put on here, but I won't if I don't get reviews. So what did you think of this? I know, I got kind of fluffy near the end, but still. And thank you, by the way, to everyone who reviewed. Thanks especially to DemonFireGirlHotaru for putting me on her favorites list. And no, Bloody Vampira, I don't hate Inuyasha. In fact, he's my favorite characters. I just had to write this, don't ask me why. Anyway, r/r my other fics too! Ciao, bellbello!

~Lady Ryoko


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